Loving God, Loving Others, Making Disciples

Praying Like Jesus – part 1

 “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”   Matthew 6:9

We spent Sunday diving into and unpacking the prayer that Jesus taught the disciples. If you were like me, maybe you grew up reciting the “Lord’s Prayer.” Like the Pledge of Allegiance and some of the creeds we used to recite in church or in scouts or wherever, sometimes, sadly overtime, they might have lost their impact. They became words we just said together.

 For the disciples, they must have seen the way Jesus approached prayer. They definitely saw the power of prayer. I believe this is why they asked Jesus to teach them to pray. In His prayer, Jesus taught them five important aspects to praying like He prayed. The first thing that Jesus said was, when you come to the Father, recognize that He is holy.  Recognize that He is pure.  Recognize that He is set apart. That’s what hallowed means.

 We have the opportunity to worship the Creator of the universe. He is all powerful. He is in control. He is sovereign.  He is big, and we are small, and yet, so many times we get busy in life, and we forget about how awesome God is!  Moses glowed after being in God’s presence. When Isaiah saw a vision of God on His throne, he recognized how sinful he was and how holy God was. An angel came and burned Isaiah’s mouth. You see, we must first recognize that God is sovereign and come into His presence with the fear of the Lord. When we come to God in prayer, we have to intentionally seek His presence with a worshipful heart. Have you met with Him today? Have you worshiped Him and recognized the Holiness of God?